Week 2 in Kumamoto, Japan

Tabemasho! (Let’s eat!)
8/7/08
I just had one of the best cookie things I have ever tasted. It was ever so delicate and delicious (oishii), filled with some sort of light colored cream that just added more of a savory flavor to the soft and sweet pastry.Before that I ate something that looked like it was found in a swamp. Usually with things like that I just put them in my mouth and hope for the best. It was pretty much tasteless, yet the slimy texture made me swallow it almost immediately before I was hit with anymore surprises. And so it goes in Kumamoto, Japan. The constant game of what is this strange chunk of food I am about to eat? So far I haven’t gotten any problems from anything I’ve eaten, which is quite the contrary with the food back home. I get a stomach ache with almost everything I eat home—that’s no secret. So even though I have no idea what I’m eating, I’m pretty sure it’s better for my overall health. I feel confident saying that these strange, slimy chunks may just be the reason they don’t have obesity problems here—it’s calorie free and makes it so you don’t want to eat anytime soon! The ultimate cure! I think I will bring this idea back home with me and prepare for ultimate failure because it doesn’t look so good sitting next to a picture of a Whopper or a Big Mac.

Well here I am on week two of my adventure and so far it has been quite the emotional roller coaster. I have had trouble with just about every little thing, most of which are just major annoyances. I can’t get internet for two more weeks, the cell phone is still non-existent, my bike is on lock down and will not move and my apartment smells like wet dog. It’s a very lovely time here obviously. Despite all of these little things, I am feeling majorly better from just three short days ago when I moved into my apartment. The initial loneliness was overwhelming and extremely difficult, but I decided that instead of sitting and sulking I would go take a walk. So I walked around the town for a while, and it has become a nightly routine ever since. I’m sure that will change once I get to know the place a little better, and find other things to do, but so far everything is still new and picture-worthy. I have a bunch of pictures of trees which I’m sure I will find extremely boring when I go to look at them later, but at the time I thought it could be a beautiful nature shot.Things are going at a snail’s pace here, starting off with something new can be like that, especially when you are initially wishing the days away. I know that the tables will turn and I will soon be wanting time to slow down, and ironically that is when it just gets faster.

I am not really doing much at school, I think they know that I have nothing to do so they don’t seem to mind it when I am constantly checking my e-mail and trying to study some Japanese. I would go walk around and talk to people, but I don’t know how to, so I just try to smile and say simple greetings. It’s a start, right?Last night was good, I finally got to meet some people living near me! We went to dinner and just being able to talk to other English speakers was extremely refreshing. We are going to a fireworks show in the city on Friday where I will see a lot of my friends from orientation, which should be greatThis week has also started to look up because I have put my Skype to use! I got to talk to my family and Kristin and Lauren which has been a life-saver for me. I have had to talk to them at school, which was a little awkward at first (since I couldn’t really talk back), but it’s better than nothing. And getting e-mails from my other friends always makes my day. Right now, being homesick is something I have accepted for a short time. I know that it will pass eventually (not completely though) and I just have to take it one day at a time. I am only here for one year so I need to take everything in and appreciate the fact that I got accepted to this program and I have the opportunity to make some awesome memories.

Another thing that I am reluctant to accept is the fact that the sleeping situation here is just not going to be as good as at home. Although I am beginning to get used to the thin mat on the floor, I still wake up with a sore shoulder or a numb hand…And preceding my awakening I am dreaming I am at home and driving around with my mom. So I wake up thinking I am home in a car only to realize that I am sore on the ground—doesn’t exactly make for an extremely pleasant morning. Once I am over the initial confusion though, things seem to go well (minding that I don’t get lost on the way to school) and I’m finding each day to be easier. I am almost happy to call the small room I live in home! As soon as I find some more decorations as well as some pictures from home I will be feeling loads better. Like how I used that British term, loads? I really like it, I think I will use that and “I popped by yesterday”, I fancy that one as well.

List time!

Here is a short list of things I have done for the first time:
1. Eat real Thai food (and man was it good)
2. Eat real Indian food (bomb as well)
3. Eat real Japanese food (interesting, yet mostly tasty)
4. Make some Japanese friends
5. Live in a Japanese home
6. Entertain myself without internet, TV, a phone or other human beings for long periods of time
7. Try to speak another language to people who speak no English (the convo didn’t get too far)
8. Kill a cockroach—it was quite the unsettling experience right before bed.

What I have done before is get lost and confused. I was surviving on using my pointer finger and the old, “Sumimasen, um, uh, Matsubase koko?” And then I frantically pointing around in all directions, indicating that I have no idea where I am. They should know that I am trying to say “Hi, I am looking for Matsubase Senior High School. It is rather embarrassing that I can’t find it considering this is the third day I am going there and I am lost again. Oh, I don’t know if I mentioned that I work there so it is quite the pathetic situation. Could you tell me how to get there using mainly gestures and please try to refrain from talking too much since you speaking Japanese tends to overwhelm and confuse me? Thanks!”Eventually I got to school. Since then I have thankfully figured things out, but I have no doubts that I will have to use the survival mode of pointing frantically and trying to speak anything that might possibly make sense again.

Doshiyo? (What shall I do?)
8/11/08
Today has been rather uneventful as the rest of my weekend was, minus Friday. We went out in the city on Friday to see the festival and fireworks show. It was one of the coolest fireworks shows I’ve ever seen since they had fireworks forming shapes and hearts at the end! From there we headed to the bars with the whole JET crew from our area. The first bar we went to was almost like we were VIP because we were the only ones in it. It was darkly lit with leather chairs and nice black tables. It was just a small room so we filled it up fast. Usually (or as far as I’ve seen) there is just a set price for the night and you pay about $25 for all you can drink. After that bar we went to one a little bit down the way where it was more like a normal bar back home—crowded and loud. It was fun and I got to meet the bar tenders because one of the JETs was friends with them. I also exchanged e-mails with some people since that’s what you do here instead of phone numbers. It’s very confusing I’m still trying to get the hang of it. It was a good time and it’s kinda hard with the bars being open so late to catch the 11:50 train so we decided to just take a cab home. Saturday I went with my supervisor to get a cell phone which took half the day. Sometimes I feel like they are talking just to talk but when it is translated for me it’s like 2 words. I really don’t think they need to be saying as much as they do.

The rest of the day I just hung out and finally got to talk on the phone while I watched a fireworks show from my window. I don’t go outside at night alone for fear of being attacked by giant bugs. I should probably face my fears one of these days.Sunday I went for a bike ride (it’s no longer on lock down-- my supervisor took me to get it fixed!) around town to get some much needed food. First of all let me just say that it must be quite the comical sight to see me riding this bike. I feel like the Wicked Witch of the West when I get on this thing (sometimes I even sing her theme song from the movie in my head while I ride). It looks just like her bike and kids give me frightened looks, so I might as well be her. It has a broken basket in the front and I am obviously too big for it. It has the loudest breaks and I am lucky if it makes it to next month. I’m just glad that it’s red and it gets me from point A to B. So I shouldn’t complain. I can just see my roommates laughing at me if they saw me riding it. Thanks a lot guys!

Anyway I was getting food at the convenience store and there was a kid just singing and dancing around—you know, doing what kids do. And suddenly he saw me and stared at me for more than 20 seconds. He then ran away yelling something in Japanese. It’s times like that where I wish I spoke Japanese more than I usually wish I did. He looked in awe at first and then very frightened. That’s how most of the kids look, a little surprised or scared to see a gaijin. I should have made a face at him--that would have scared him away faster. That encounter definitely made me laugh.The rest of the day I got to read, write and listen to music which was good, it’s been a while since I’ve been able to write like that. Ok seriously, what am I supposed to be doing? Everyone just left the office and now I am here by myself. They don’t really tell you much around these parts. I think they are all at some meeting or something. Something I wouldn’t understand anyway.

Hotto doggu wa tabemasu ka? (Will you eat a hot dog?)
8/12/08
For lunch a lot of the teachers have bentos which are just boxed lunches filled with rice, pickled vegetables (tsukemono) of some sort, and either meat or noodles. I have gotten them for the past few days, and they aren’t half bad. The convenience stores even warm them up in the microwave for you! So it’s easy and affordable. Now, some may wonder why I suddenly started talking about this and it is because I want to educate my reader on the cultural differences from the U.S. and Japan. As well as probably go get one sometime soon. I have quite the adventure when I go to the convenience stores here because there are just so many interesting things to look at. And don’t even get me started on the grocery store! It is crawling with crazy things—literally. It reeks of fish in most sections and there is even a clothing store within the one near my house. Two in one, how could you go wrong? But I have found a minor setback. Well a few, first of all I can’t read any of the labels, so I’m a little afraid I accidently bought cow’s milk which is apparently not the same as normal milk. I will find out soon enough. I am a little worried to buy anything that looks like it could have been alive about ten minutes ago, so I usually stay in the boxed food section. Secondly, you have to bag your own groceries. It’s harder then they make it look at home folks, there’s a special method to it. Luckily I have done the self check out at the local store at home, so I have faith that I will be a pro at it soon enough.

The other thing I am struggling with is the use of hashi or chopsticks. My homestay lady’s mom tired to teach me, and I have been complimented on getting better, but there were times during my homestay where Hiroko would just hand me a fork (foku)and laugh. I usually tired a bit longer before sighing and admitting defeat.

One other thing that I thought would bother me more is the smoking in public places. I saw a lady smoking in the restaurant I was in the other day and I was shocked. Then I realized that they can do that here. I thought it was going to be disgusting in bars and restaurants but so far it hasn’t been that bad, I hope it stays like that.

So last night I went on a beautiful walk. Along with giant spiders and dragonflies, I saw a great view of the green landscape and a crystal clear view of the surrounding mountains. I think it calms me to see mountains because I feel more at home. The rest of the night I tackled the daunting task of laundry. I finally figured out the washing machine, but the real challenge lay in where to hang my clothes. They don’t have dryers here, so I had to be creative with my hanging techniques. My apartment looked like I was decorating for some sort of clothes party, but in the end I figured it out and officially cleaned my first load of clothes!My next challenge is going to be where to throw away all of my old sheets and how to buy new sheets and a new futon mat. I need to buy them, but seeing that I don’t have a car there is no way I could carry all of that from the grocery store to my house. I guess I could ask my supervisor to take me, but I feel like that could be a little awkward. Although he is very professional, I think getting my cell phone and bike figured out was already pretty personal. I don’t know why I feel like that, maybe because he’s my boss basically, but I still feel awkward about it. Maybe I can ask the other ALT near to take me, although I feel bad about that because I know it isn’t his job to drive me around town. I feel so helpless most of the time and I think even if I spoke a little bit of Japanese I will be able to feel better. I hope it will all come in time, I’ll figure it out somehow!

The weather here has been hot and muggy, I miss the crisp feel of the Colorado air--breathing in deep here is like swallowing something other than air that doesn’t completely satisfy your lungs. These past two days have been partly cloudy and a little rainy, which I am extremely thankful for. It cools things down a bit and although it brings out the bugs tenfold, I am almost glad to see the sun go away. That means I’m not missing it when I’m inside. I’ve almost gotten used to the sticky feeling humidity leaves on your skin, and I’m sure by the time I’m back in Colorado, my skin will be screaming for moisture.

Newsflash! I didn’t have to eat a bento at school today! It was a big day because some of my co-workers asked me to come to lunch with them. The restaurant we went to had a Rasta theme and the Jamaican tunes filled the air while colorful fabric hung from the ceiling and a colorful painting of Bob Marley smiled back at you as you entered (like how I’m setting the scene?). I ate a somewhat spicy southern dish that looked like something that was made in New Orleans and managed to eat it all with chopsticks. What I didn’t manage was keeping the red soup from getting on my white shirt. That is the tricky part about those slippery noodles. I guess getting the red out of the white is going to be just another challenge I will face. Oh well, I’m up for it! The conversation was short since their English was limited and my Japanese is obviously non-existent, but we managed to understand what we were trying to tell each other and I even got invited to play badminton and go to a birthday dinner celebration in a few weeks. I never thought I would say I’m really excited to play badminton but I sure am now! Sounds like a silly poem, or a would you rather question. Would you rather play badminton in Japan or shuffle board in Russia?

Tonight the other JETs in my neighborhood and I are going to eat Indian food around 6:30, so this is an all around red letter day for me. For those of you who don’t know what a red letter day is and insist that I made it up, you can ask someone else and they will tell you they’ve heard of it before. I swear I didn’t make it up, but I don’t know if I ever knew the true meaning, so I might have made that up… That didn’t make any sense, but basically a red letter day is one that is great and a lot of good things happen in one day, therefore making it red letter-like. I don’t know what it has to do with a red letter and I know what you’re thinking, Lauren. You think that I just made it up. Well fine then, I guess I did! In the absence of information we create our own. I think some old guy told me that once.

You know what I forgot to mention that was disturbing for me on many levels? The beans that I ate! They are called nato (I don’t know if that’s how it’s spelled) and they are repulsive. I don’t know how people like them. They look like normal brown beans but they have this sticky, slimy, smelly, clear pasty goop-like substance that is stringy and sticks to everything on top of them, or mixed in with them. It looks like sticky bug guts or something they would use in an alien movie to show the alien’s drool. They smell bad and have little or no taste, but the sight alone could drive anyone’s appetite away. I am not usually one who losses their appetite very quickly—in fact I can’t recall a time when I truly have. But after trying these beans, I could not finish the rest of my meal. Disgusting.

I was talking to my mom yesterday and they are coming in December and she told to me to start looking up trips because she would like to take me on a trip when she is there. She mentioned Thailand which would be great—especially since that one is a little more expensive and I was already turning down a trip with friends to Thailand around that time since my family was going to be there. Until then I need to travel around my prefecture and make plans for going to South Korea. My Gun leader (pronounced ‘goon’) is planning on doing some beach trips (it’s about an hour from here) as well as perhaps some hiking and other fun things in this area. I hope to see Mt. Aso in the near future and go to some of the famous hot springs in the Kumamoto prefecture. I would also like to visit Nagasaki sometime soon since we are so close to it. I better get planning!

O-kane to, meisei to, dochira ga daiji desu ka (Which one is more important, money or reputation?)
8/13/08
I am once again one of three people left in this office since everyone has taken holiday. I rode my bike to school twice today, dodging the smashed crabs that littered the pavement while I passed old ladies hiding in the shade with umbrellas. The first time I came they were testing the electricity so the power was out. I figured that it would be pointless for me to sit in the hot room by myself so I rode my bike back home. I went home and made some eggs and toast as well as some phone calls and came back to school to begin my monotonous day of writing e-mails and reading about teaching methods. I did get really excited yesterday because I discovered a brilliant idea—pen pals! I’m going to do them with my mom’s class and my cooperating teacher, Jen’s, class I believe. My mom said her kids study Asia and they would love to do pen pals, which I think would be so cute. I also think it would be cool for them to do pen pals to kids their own age living in the U.S. So I am going to try and do both. We’ll see how that goes.

Last night (as I said earlier) I went to eat Indian food with the ALTs from my area which was extremely delicious. For those who have not experienced it, I suggest you try it. I usually get a meal that consists of nan (really good pita like bread) and a bunch of different sauces that you can get really mild or really spicy depending on your liking. They set the mood by having you sit in a little boxed in booth after taking off your shoes. There were giant, festive pillows and in this particular restaurant they had a hole cut out in the ground for you to put your feet. The other one I went was just a table and chairs. And of course there’s that crazy Indian music which I have decided I really enjoy.

After dinner we went shopping in a big mall across the street. I bought a funky looking Japanese vest thing that the other girls said I could pull off even though I was a little unsure…I also bought a vanilla ice cream bar for a mere 58 yen (58 cents). What a steal! I just couldn’t resist the delicious vanilla on a stick, I never can. My best purchase was “mood in cup” that’s all it said on the front of this candle box. Oh, and that candles burn up to four hour. Four hour, without the ‘S’. I loved it so much and it gave me such a good laugh that I had to buy it. I hope they set the right mood, because they didn’t specify what type of mood was in this cup. We will have to see. Some of the shirts make me laugh too, they are made in China so the English writing makes absolutely no sense. But no one cares because they have no idea what it’s saying! I guess their marketing scheme is ‘as long as looks like English, it is English! So sell it!’ I think we have a thing or two to learn from the Chinese.

I was just informed that I have to be at school on Sunday. SUNDAY! I think they are aware that is a weekend, but I feel like I should inform them. What an outrage, this would never happen in the U.S. We love our weekends way too much. Oh well at least I know I will be in the city for the first three days of next week. We have orientation which consists of more classes on info about Japanese language courses, speakers, teaching demos, tours of the castle, health, finance, and cooking. The best part of all is the beer garden party on Monday night and the pub crawl afterwards. I hope to stay in the city with one of my friends because it would be a pain to commute back and forth everyday. The city is only about a 20 min train ride from Matsubase, but I would rather just be right in the action while I can.I think I am hitting a stopping point. Finally, I know. So that’s the story of Jessica’s thrilling and wiiiild adventure in Japan. Ha. I will be back with more exciting tales of weird food and interesting people in the future. Until then ittemairimasu (goodbye but literally—I’ll go and come back)!